Yompai musings
Teak Bowls and Indian foods
Mons has created a range of spice blends. Not just traditional Indian spices but blends that are natural, healthy and oh they taste great. She has a whole range of different recipes on her website
Did you know?
Did you know that spurtles were first made in Scotland to stir porridge, in the days before rolled oats. Now there are a variety of different shapes and uses for these wonderful kitchen tools.
Can you use your spatulas to cook with?
We are often asked if our spatulas and other kitchen tools can be used. The answer is an emphatic yes, using our wooden spatulas and spoons, you can be sure your non stick pans nor your cast iron dishes will not be scratched. Read more
Rural and Village life in Thailand
Many tourists to Thailand have been to places like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket. But there is a whole other world of small and often remote villages where life is slower, simpler. Where English is not widespread. That is where we source our wooden bowls and platters from
Limes and Thai cooking
There are two types of lime used in Thai cooking. There are the regular limes that are common here in NZ, known as "manao" in Thai.
These are used to add sourness to a Thai dish, especially in dishes like Somtam (Papaya Salad).
What makes Thai food taste so good.
There are lots of things that go into making Thai food taste so good, from regional dishes to the combination of tastes each meal bring. But there are some common elements to Thai food
Avocado Knife
Getting avocado out of their skin, especially if they are soft can be messy. These little avocado knives make the job simple and once out they help you spread the avocado
Street Food
There is always a huge variety of streetfood in Bangkok, not matter the time of day.
Usually serving sizes are small, and the people who make it, make a small range of foods, that have been passed down from generations. The food comes from a range of places, lots of Issaan foods, Pattani, rice dishes, noodles. Somtam of course.
Pohutakawas and summer
It is nearly Christmas, three weeks to go, and definitely summer with temperatures in the mid to high 20's the last few days. The Pohutawas are in blossom, there is bright crimson everywhere I go at the moment, across the river, down the road, at the beach.
Do you miss travel
Perhaps one day soon, we will look back in wonder at a time that we could not travel. It is not impossible but it is difficult, especially here in NZ, where when in NZ life is pretty normal, no lockdowns, few people in masks, but travel outside of the country is very problematic.
What type of rice do you choose?
Did you know there are over 40,000 varieties of rice. Amazing. It can be confusing even just in a Western supermarket figuring out which type of rice you should buy and cook. Find out more about the main types of rices and which foods to eat with them.
How to use chopsticks
Chopsticks can be frustrating to use and if the food squeezes out, messy. But it is a great way to eat, especially asian food where there are a range of dishes to try and allows for relaxed eating and talking together. We have three sizes of chopsticks, smaller ones for japanese food, medium length ones for chinese and thai foods and long chopsticks to use when cooking.
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